Chapter 8: Patterning and Mirroring
The Pattern Layout panel enables you to control spacing and other geometrical aspects of the
selected pattern layout, as well as the minimum gap from the fill boundary. This is most useful for
patterns of regularly spaced features with an irregular boundary.Cosmetic Patterns
Cosmetic Patterns are not patterns in the same sense as all the other pattern types in SolidWorks.
Cosmetic Patterns do not actually create any geometry, just the appearance of geometry. They are
applied using RealView functionality, which may or may not be available to you depending on
your hardware, in particular your video card.Note
More information is available on RealView capable video cards from the SolidWorks corporate Web site, at
http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/VideoCardTesting.html?lsrc=quick_links. n
Cosmetic Patterns are appropriate if your manufacturing method does not require actual geometry.
For example, rapid prototyping requires explicit geometry in order to build a part, but a perforated
sheet metal panel or a knurled cylindrical handle may require only a note on a drawing for the
shop to set up a manufacturing process to create the geometry.To apply a Cosmetic Pattern to a face, feature, body, or entire part, click the RealView tab from the
Task Pane, and choose Appearances ➪ Miscellaneous ➪ Pattern or ➪ RealView Only Appearances.
Drag and drop the desired pattern onto the model, and use the popup menu to apply it to a face,
feature, body, or the entire part. Figure 8.22 shows the RealView tab of the Task Manager with
some of the Cosmetic Pattern options.Cross-Reference
You can find more details about RealView appearances in Chapter 5. n